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The huge earthquake detected off the coast of Alaska on Wednesday, one of six major seismic events from the "Ring of Fire" around the Pacific this week, triggered a tsunami warning down the US west coast all the way to Los Angeles.

The warning was later cancelled, but not before spreading familiar unease among the population of California.

The governor, Jerry Brown, declared a state of emergency no less than seven times last year. And that was before this year's mudslides that killed at least 20 people around the wealthy seaside hideaway of Montecito.

The Golden State is being threatened by what one climate scientist termed a "whiplash of disasters" - including droughts, floods,and wildfires....